Marry Me A Little
by Nitz149
Summary: Alec Lightwood has the perfect life until the Clave and Warlock Council decide to act matchmaker. AU: Alec and Magnus are forced to marry each other to maintain the recently established peace.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. The title is from the Broadway musical.

* * *

Alec Lightwood lived what he called a decent life. He had a great relationship with his siblings, Isabelle, Jace and Max. He had even made his peace with his parabatai Jace's danger-prone girlfriend Clary. He was the Head of the Shadowhunters New York Institute. The conflicts between Shadowhunters and Downwolders were at an all time low. It had been quiet enough for him to take out time to learn cooking (even before, he had been the only one of his siblings who could boast of making something edible and he was getting tired of takeouts.) The time he had for training ensured that he was fit enough to make men and women swoon alike, should he take off his shirt.

However, all of it came crashing down with a single blow his parents dealt on their most recent visit.

"Do you both understand what you are asking me here?"

"Alec, son, you have to understand. We wouldn't ask you to if there was another way," his dad answered. It seemed that they had decided to let Robert do all the talking today. It was quite unlike his mother to stay this quiet though. "We do know it is a man, if that helps."

Alec scoffed. "No, it doesn't dad. You are asking me to _marry_ someone I do not know, a Downworlder at that. When we used to hear about all the political marriages within Shadowhunter families, Jace, Iz and I would talk about how glad we were that you guys were above all that bullshit. And here you are, asking me to marry the High Warlock of Brooklyn, without knowing a goddamn thing about him?"

"Alec, we stand to lose everything. The Clave wants to conduct retrials for our involvement with the Circle. Your mother and I will be deruned. The only other way they offered us was to have our firstborn marry the High Warlock to maintain the recently established peace."

"The peace that _I_ established - without any forced marriages, I might add," Alec said bitterly. But he knew he did not have a choice. No matter what, he could not let his parents be pushed away from the society.

"Son - " his father started but Alec put his hand up. He was tired of all the arguments, especially when he knew he was powerless here.

"When?" He asked tightly.

"Two weeks from now."

"Do I get to meet him before?"

"Of course, son, I will have a meeting set up tomorrow."

"No need, I'll do it myself."

"Alec, I am - we are sorry," his mother said softly as he got up. He merely nodded and put a hand on her shoulder before he left.

Izzy and Jace were already waiting in his room when he reached there. Their "So are they giving you another promotion?" and "What's next? Inner member at the Clave?" turned to "What's wrong?" the moment they saw their older brother.

Alec crashed into his bed face first and related the whole conversation to them.

"They can't make you," Izzy cried out.

"They'll be deruned, Iz."

"So what, they made the mistake, they should face the punishment, not you," she said holding his hand.

"I understand why you think you have to do this for them," their adopted brother started but suddenly stopped. "You know what Alec, no, I don't. All through the years, I have seen you take shit for Izzy and I. You tried being the perfect son, heck you _were_ the perfect son for mom and dad. And yet, they never saw it. Until now, until they needed it for their own benefit. You can't do this Alec, let them face the consequences."

Alec got up and hugged the two. "Guys, we can fight about this but ultimately, we all know this has to happen. It's mom and dad we're talking about. I can't let them be exiled." He had already resigned to the fact that his life was no longer his own. "Now you both need to help me make it bearable for myself. I don't necessarily have to end up in an unhappy marriage." He sighed.

"So what do we know about him so far?" Izzy looked at Jace, their source of all Downworlder gossip.

"Magnus Bane - High Warlock of Brooklyn. He is known to be quite elusive but also, well, a _player_. He sent his representative to the Downworld cabinet that Alec started, so he obviously is not the man who gets his hands dirty in daily affairs. I have heard he hosts some amazing parties - oh Iz you remember the one we went to at Pandemonium last week, I think that was one of his," Jace reminded her, making Izzy agree on the amazing parties point.

"When are you meeting him?" Izzy asked.

"I haven't called him yet but probably tomorrow. Wedding is supposed to be in two weeks."

"Ask him for drinks at _Shadows Bistro_. It's a nice, quiet place." Alec nodded as he dialled the number he had only dialled once in the past.

"Bane," a disinterested voice answered after a three rings.

"Hi, uhm, this is Alec - Alec Lightwood from the New York Shadowhunters Institute?"

"Oh hello, Alexander, I assume you heard about the arrangement with the Clave?" Alec started to protest against the use of his full first name but decided against it, having more important things to speak about.

"Uh yes. So, I was wondering if we could perhaps meet before?"

"Sure. Seems reasonable. What did you have in mind?"

" _Shadows Bistro_ , tomorrow at 8? _"_

"I'll see you then." With that, Magnus Bane hung up leading Alec to crash into his bed once more and groaned.

* * *

Concrit and comments appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

When Catarina entered Magnus' apartment, the place was a portrait of chaos. The only items still on the ground seemed to be furniture. There were tens of plates. pans , cups and knives whizzing around. Books and paperweights flew around, as did about a dozen of cushions. Once every few moments, something would break free from the orbit and crash against the walls, or the floor, even the ceiling. Catarina ducked as a knife flew a few inches above her head and thrust into the wall. Another plate headed towards Chairman Meow, one of Magnus' cats, but changed path mid-air to crash against the wall, sending its pieces flying about. A cushion popped as it hit the balcony door; its feathers faithfully finding their way back into the disarray. And in the centre of the pandemonium, stood Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, his face contorted in rage and desperation.

"Magnus, you need to stop," she said standing in behind him.

"I don't see why," Magnus responded, without turning.

"This is crazy."

"I agree with you there."

"Magnus!" Catarina finally cried out, and spread out her hands to pause the flying objects mid-air. This finally made Magnus stop, causing the items fall to the ground. His shoulders were slumped when returned around.

"Ragnor tell you the whole thing?" he asked wile pouring them drinks.

"Just that they are pushing this marriage on you. I don't understand why though, and I especially don't understand why you are going along with it."

"I am not aware of the entire conversation between the Clave and our Council but apparently there were talks going of a marriage alliance to cement the bonds," Magnus waved his hands in the air as he spoke. "In the end the Clave decided I would be a good enough candidate given my current stature. They need someone who is someone to appease the Clave. And while I fulfilled that requirement, along with multiple other warlocks, I am the only one who has recently shown support to vampires and werewolves and the first one to suggest peace with Shadowhunters. The Sanctuaries we created without sharing the complete information with every warlock do not help."

"How could we? The reason we had to build those Sanctuaries was warlocks being threatened by warlocks!" Catarina exclaimed. "But regardless of that, you are one of the most powerful warlocks on the Council, they can't _make_ you marry someone."

Magnus snorted. "Powerful as I may be, I cannot take on an entire Council, Cat. I would have chosen to decline and live on the run for sometime - until they come to their senses, but that would only put you, Ragnor and Raph and the others in more danger. They threatened to banish me and any supporters to the Spiral Labyrinth."

"Let's make a run for it, all of us. It will be like the old times." Catarina tried to make a case for her idea but stopped when she saw the look in Magnus' eyes. "So what? You will just go ahead and marry this man, you know nothing about?"

"What other choice do I have?"

"I'm so sorry, Mags," Catarina whispered, holding her friend's hand. A few minutes later, their friend Ragnor joined them as well. He had been at a Council meeting that Magnus had refused to go to as a futile sign of protest.

"Any good news?" Catarina asked.

Ragnor shook his head. "Not really. There is no way of getting out of this. Nothing with better results than this, at least. He's a Lightwood - Robert and Maryse's firstborn."

"Lightwood, great. This couldn't get any better," Magnus groaned downing another drink.

"He's the Head of their New York Institute," Ragnor continued, ignoring Magnus' outburst. He's the one who started the regular Cabinet meetings between Downworlders and Shadowhunters."

"You're mistaken. I've known enough Lightwoods." The Lightwoods had always been against providing basic rights to Downworlders. In fact, Maryse Lightwood was one of the major supporters of Valentine, bringing her husband into the Circle as well.

"This one's different," Ragnor insisted. "I spoke with Elias, _your_ representative to the council. He says the boy has done pretty good work to maintain peace. You already know it was his suggestions of transparency between the Downworlders and Nephilim and his actions to support the same that convinced the Council to even consider the signing the revised Accords."

"Raphael and Elias have both told me good things about the Head of the Institute, but I wasn't aware he was a Lightwood."

"Well, he couldn't be _that_ bad then, right?" Catarina offered. Magnus only grunted in response. Before Catarina could say more, they were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He did not recognise the number. _Probably someone else from the Council calling in for a laugh._

"Bane," he said indifferently, hoping to disinterest the caller.

"Hi, uhm, this is Alec - Alec Lightwood from the New York Shadowhunters Institute?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Leave these buttons open," Izzy pretty much ordered Alec. She was helping him get ready for his _date_ as she was calling it (Alec refused to). He was wearing a dark blue shirt over skinny black jeans (a gift from Jace) and was highly uncomfortable even without Izzy's additional inputs to the outfit.

"Iz, I am not going to pretend to be someone I am not, especially when he will know that soon enough," he said rebuttoning his shirt.

Izzy smiled sadly. "Go charm him, big brother."

* * *

"Alexander, I presume?" Alec looked up to see more glitter than he had ever seen in his lifetime. The man in front of him was wearing a purple jacket over a white shirt that was unbuttoned way more than Izzy had dared to suggest to him. Various necklaces and pendants, however, covered Magnus Bane's bare chest. He was wearing a think black eyeliner, multiple rings, and a bunch of earrings on his right ear that reminded Alec of Izzy's whip-bracelet.

"Yes," he nodded as he gestured the other man to sit. "Nice to meet you, Magnus" He stretched out his hand. The warlock shook it with surprising softness.

"I would have assumed otherwise, given the circumstances." Alec simply smiled, unsure of a proper response. His heart raced as he tried to think of a conversation starter. Fortunately, the waiter's arrival saved him. "I'll have a martini," Magnus ordered and looked at him. Alec ordered the same.

"So what is your reason to accept this sham of a union?" Magnus asked. Any hopes Alec had had of a happy marriage were quashed right there.

"The Clave wants to strengthen relations and punish my parents at the same time - they were in the Circle when they were young," he explained, in an indifferent tone. Magnus nodded. For a moment, Alec thought he was disappointed but the expression was gone too soon for him to be sure. "And you?"

"When your Clave came up with the offer of a marriage, the Warlock Council voted me to be the lucky winner. I think they saw some ironic beauty given my - well - lifestyle choices," Magnus replied, as if daring Alec to ask more about the _lifestyle choices_. "The threat of banishment was floated by, of course," he added as an afterthought.

Over drinks, Magnus ensured that they sorted out all the "logistical details". The wedding was to be at the Institute after which Alec would move to Magnus' loft in Brooklyn. ("I have a spare bedroom, if that makes you more comfortable," the warlock had said thoughtfully.) The Clave and Warlock Council had taken the liberty to draft a pre-nup agreement for them, which they were expected to get by the next day.

"We can, of course, go over any clauses that might need pre-planning once we get the documents," Magnus stated before gesturing the waiter for the bill. He offered to pay and Alec let him after a short dance of "I should"s.

Alec sat in his seat, and put his head on the table, long after Magnus left. Magnus was determined to treat it as what it was - a hostage situation for the Clave or the Warlock Council to take advantage of should the need arise. The only silver lining was that Magnus did not seem to expect sex out of this marriage either.

* * *

Magnus settled into his couch, a fresh drink in hand. Alexander saw their marriage as a punishment for his parents' crimes. Once that was clear, Magnus' own desire to make this _relationship_ work fizzled as well. Well, he had gotten away without opening up his heart to anyone for a century now, how much different could it be with a flatmate? With that thought in mind, Magnus pushed all thoughts of Alexander's good looks and conjured himself another drink.

Magnus was still asleep on his couch when the pre-nuptial agreement dropped on his coffee table. A couple of hours later, Magnus groaned. This was worse than he had thought. So, Magnus did what he always did when he was upset. He drank. It was late evening when Catarina portalled to his place that woke him up, though she later wished she hadn't.

"Cat this is ridiculous!" He cried out. Papers flew around the room as Magnus tried to find the clause he was looking for. " _Clause 6.5: A magical barrier will be enforced on both parties to ensure the absence of any sexual intercourse outside the marriage._ He is so young, Catarina, and idealistic. Marrying a man he barely knows to save his parents. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm one of the villains in his head. What am I supposed to do?"

"Abstain, perhaps?" Catarina smirked.

"It's too soon for jokes, my dear. And I am not sure how long I will need to. _Clause 81.1: Neither of the parties is at liberty to break the union before the marking of the completion of 10 years of the union. Clause 81.2: Any requests to break the union after the aforementioned period will be brought to a panel comprising of equal members from the Shadowhunters Clave and Warlock Council. The union may be broken if the panel agrees in majority that the reasons presented for the separation are reasonable._ "

"Mags, a lot can happen in 10 years," Catarina tried to calm him down. "Perhaps you two will start seeing eye to eye?"

"I don't know Cat, I cannot see any good coming out of this," he said as he rested his head on his friend's shoulder.

"Why don't you give him some time? He was also given the news as suddenly as you were, and he is, as you said, so young. Perhaps his negative view is temporary. Give him a chance to know you, at least before you make the decision to not let him in." Magnus knew she was right but at the same time, he wasn't sure if he was ready to let someone in.

* * *

Alec had been quiet since he came back from his meeting with Magnus. Izzy and Jace tried to get him to talk about it but he simply answered with "It went well. We discussed some stuff. I don't know if we'll meet again before the wedding." Max had tried to engage him in a discussion about use of fire runes versus heat runes and while he offered more in this discussion than the ones about Magnus, it was clear he was far away in his head. He did, however, make it a point to stop Izzy when she decided to try and meet her future brother-in-law.

"Isabelle, you are not to engage with him at all until the wedding, is this clear? I do not want you or Jace or anyone else meddling with this." His tone had been enough to stop Izzy. After that, he spent the rest of the day going over the agreement sent over by the Clave.

He cursed into the air as he read through some of the clauses. His silver lining was slowly erased as he continued to read. _Ten years_ , Alec gulped. This was going to be a long ten years.

* * *

As always, concrit is appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

The remaining time flew by before Alec knew it. Izzy had taken care of all the wedding preparations. True to her word, she had not tried to contact Magnus and now, she put her hands on his shoulders as he almost had a panic attack. "Hey, breathe, slowly. You're imagining the worse. It'll be better than you think. Maybe you could treat the first few weeks as your dating period, you know."

"Start with small things. Clary and I would write each other post-its when we first moved in together," Jace added.

"I can't believe I am taking tips for my love life from you and Clary but that's actually not a bad idea," Alec let out a hollow laugh. "I just - it's just - what if - " he could not bring himself to say it but his siblings understood.

"If he does, I will make sure he can never ever have sex again," Jace said, going into combat mode. Alec smiled weakly as he motioned them to head out. "It's time."

Magnus was already at the altar when Alec took his place, Izzy and Jace behind him. He caught Clary giving him a thumbs up sign from where she sat but he decided to ignore it, choosing to look at his - at Magnus instead. The warlock was wearing a royal blue tuxedo with swirling patters in the same colour. The patterns mirrored those in gold over Alec's white tuxedo. The warlock had gone for a toned down makeup, and his hair was styled up with a single blue highlight matching his jacket.

"You look quite handsome, Alexander," he said politely, to which Alec responded with an equally polite compliment, a little less smoothly than Magnus, of course. The rest of the ceremony was a blur to Alec, until they were told to kiss.

Magnus held him at the waist and planted a short chaste kiss on his lips before letting go. "Not so bad, now was it?" He asked making Alec blush.

After the reception, Alec hugged his siblings before heading to his quarters at the Institute with Magnus. They grabbed his suitcase and then Magnus portalled them to his loft. Alec looked around at his new surroundings in surprise. Alec had imagined the place would look at a bachelor's pad, based on what he had heard of Magnus so far. However, the living room was decorated in a classy fashion, white leather sofas over a dull red rug.

"That is the living room, as you can see. Up ahead is the kitchen, there is an office space and library in here," Magnus pointed as he spoke. "My room is in there and right here is going to be your room. Whatever changes you want to make to the decor, please let me know. I wasn't sure what you would like," he spoke warmly. "Alexander, I understand that this is not a situation either of us willingly walked into, but perhaps we can avoid making it too difficult. I guess, what I mean is, please consider this as much your home as mine, and feel free to let me know if you need anything or make any changes you want." With a small smile, Magnus headed into his room.

—

The next week passed without any contact between the two newlyweds. Alec would leave the loft while Magnus was still asleep and get back late at night. His siblings tried to talk to him about it but Alec evaded their questions, choosing to dive into work instead. Yelling out "It's my marriage and I want you two to stay out of it" had helped as well, but not in the way Alec had hoped. Izzy, being Izzy, decided to give her brother's relationship a little nudge. So, on pretence of a date, she headed out and knocked on Magnus and Alec's door.

To say that Magnus was surprised to see her was an understatement. "Isabelle, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Clearly," she said with a smile, gesturing to the warlock's dressing robe around him and his unstyled hair. "I am happy to wait while you get ready." She settled into the couch as if she was a regular visitor to the apartment.

"Did we have something planned? I am sorry I must have forgotten to put it on my calendar," he said lightly, playing along, causing her to smile widely. She was already starting to like the guy.

"We do now, brother-in-law. We are going for a coffee."

"Very well, give me a moment please," Magnus smiled, though he still looked slightly confused. He went into his room and a few minutes later, he was ready in a deep red jacket over a white satin shirt coupled with beige pants.

"Shall we?" He extended his hand, making the Shadowhunter smile. Once she took her hand, he portalled them to a quiet coffee shop in Queens. Once they ordered, they sat silent for a moment before Izzy spoke up. Surprisingly, the silence was not awkward.

"My brother is a real catch," she blurted after a while. "He's just shy," she added at Magnus's raised eyebrow. "He's always been the quiet one amongst us siblings. Angel knows someone had to be. Mum and dad would have ended up putting us into adoption otherwise, forget adopting Jace. In fact I'm sure Alec is why they Jace and I turned out alright." She paused for a breath. "What I's trying to tell you is Alec takes time to open up but - but once he does, he's amazing."

"I am sure he is, Isabelle but how can I expect him to open up when I don't even see him all day? I am sure he would not appreciate if I start coming up to the Institute right away."

Izzy nodded. "You are right about that. He would have a fit," she giggled. "It might be fun to see." She smirked, even as Magnus glared at her.

"I assume whisking him away to Paris might not be fruitful, either?"

Izzy laughed. "Is it too late for me to exchange places with him?" She winked before getting serious. "My brother sees the beauty in small things. Grand gestures will not go ignored but the way to winning his heart is through little, thoughtful gestures. Let him know you see _him._ "

Magnus nodded thoughtfully. "So what do you think my next step should be? What does he like? Or perhaps loathe? That might be interesting to bond over."

"You'll have to find that out yourself, Magnus." Izzy smirked. "If I tell you, he'll know. That reminds me, do not mention this meeting to Alec, please. He will go crazy. He explicitly forbid me from _interfering_ "

Magnus laughed. "I am glad for your rebellious streak. I promise, I won't tell."

"It's your call but perhaps you could start with becoming friends first? It's - He - " she trailed off.

"What is it?" Magnus asked with genuine concern. "Izzy, if there is something I can do, I would be happy to. While I understand that this marriage was not something Alexander or I asked for or expected, I would hate for it to continue being the burden that it was when we were told about it. I know it will not be easy, we are both from different worlds, but I want to at least make an effort to make this a happy marriage. So if there is something you can tell me that would help, please do."

Izzy's heart melted at Magnus' words. She understood Alec's concerns and fears but given the circumstances, she was glad to see the kind of man her brother had married. She knew Alec would be mad at her for what she was about to reveal but she decided it was for the best. She would leave Alec to share his entire story but there were definitely things Magnus needed to know before hand. "Well, Alec has always been a workaholic so he did not have much time for relationships. You - this marriage is his first romantic relationship, even if forced to be so."

"But he's had - uh - _encounters_ I'm sure, right?" Magnus asked, uncertainly.

"No - Magnus, your wedding kiss was my brother's first kiss."

Magnus was silent for a while as he took it in. Izzy stayed silent as well. It was after almost five minutes that Magnus spoke. "I can see the benefit of trying for friendship first." He said softly. "I really don't want to give him the wrong idea. I don't want him to think that I am trying to woo him for sex," he explained. "Given my reputation, I believe it would be easy to arrive at that conclusion."

Izzy giggled playfully, hoping to cheer up the warlock. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to sing your praises when Alec is around."

"We will have to _officially_ meet for that," Magnus reminded her.

Izzy hummed her approval. "We'll figure something out."

"Well, it was a real pleasure meeting you, Izzy. Regardless of what happens between Alexander and I, I would love to see you again. Perhaps we could go have a spa day the next time."

"I have a feeling you and I will get along splendidly, Mags," she said as they got up and she kissed the man's cheek.

She had barely walked out of the coffee shop that she got a call from Magnus. "What's his favourite cuisine?" the man asked.

"Magnus, I just told you that you have to find that out yourself."

"Yes, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I am calling his sister to find out what food he likes."

"You're a cheeky bastard, Magnus Bane," Izzy laughed. "Vietnamese and Chinese. Chinese takeout is his usual comfort food. Other than that he is not picky about food at all."

"You, my dear, are the best sister-in-law ever."


	5. Chapter 5

Alec had just finished up his last meeting for the day and was wondering what to do to while away some time before it was time for him to head back. He was about to go to the training room when he received the text.

 _[From_ ** _Magnus Bane_** _at 7:15pm]_

 _Hi Alexander, a friend told me about this new Vietnamese place and I was planning on going to check it out. Would you be interested in joining me for a quick dinner?_

Alec almost replied with a yes when it hit him - was Magnus courting him? And with that thought, panic started to creep into him. _But it's just a dinner_ , he reasoned. _And even if he does suggest something, I can refuse._ He could not go on avoiding any interactions with his _husband_ at all.

[ _To_ ** _Magnus Bane_** _at 7:28pm]_

 _Sure, just text me the time and place._

Twenty minutes later, he was standing outside the restaurant, building up the courage to go inside. He hadn't been standing long when a voice called him form behind.

"Ah Alexander, I hope you haven't been waiting for too long?" Magnus said and opened the door for Alec. As soon as they were seated, both men engrossed themselves in the menus. However, once they had ordered, an awkward silence took over. A few minutes of fumbling later, Alec finally asked "Why are we here, Magnus?" as politely as he could.

Magnus blinked. He had obviously not been expecting that. "No small talk then, I guess," he joked half-heartedly. "Alexander, we have been living together for a week now, and honestly neither of us has been on our best behaviour, considering. But we do have to live under the same roof for at least ten more years and I do not fancy making them a repeat of the last few days. I don't have any huge expectations, I would like to see how things go between us before that, but I do hope that we can at least be friends. Hence, the dinner for us to get to know each other."

Alec noted how Magnus did not rule out the possibility of them being romantically involved but also ensured that Alec knew that he would be fine without it as well. The shadowhunter wondered how true that was but he appreciated Magnus taking the first step and offered the warlock a smile. "I would like that." Realising that Magnus expected him to start, Alec wracked his brain for topics. "How's your work going?" He groaned internally as he asked - he couldn't have picked a more boring question if he wanted. _Why do I care?_

"It's alright. A few scuffles among the Warlocks but nothing major lately. I must commend you on your Shadow world cabinet meetings. Violence among clans is at an all time low. I have heard quite a few whispers of Downworlders appreciating the transparency and a platform to speak. Soon enough, they will be happy enough to speak out as well." Alec blushed at the praise and mumbled something along the lines of combined effort. "How is Elias doing as the Warlock representative?"

"He's good," Alec replied. "A little held back at times, but I guess that's expected given the strange nature of these councils."

"Of course." Magnus seemed to have realised that he would have to lead the conversation to get them on the right track since he started talking almost right away. "I have been meaning to ask you, what is your opinion on pets? I have two cats, Chairman Meow and Church. They are currently with one of my friends since I hadn't had a chance to ask you if you are okay with pets."

Once again, Alec was surprised by the thoughtfulness. "Oh of course, I love cats. But you don't have to change your life to accommodate -" _me_ , he thought. _"-_ this," he gestured to the two of them.

Magnus sighed as he nodded but did not say anything to explain that. "I'll speak with Catarina to have them over tomorrow. What about you? Any pets?"

"No," Alec smiled. "My brother Jace had a dog when we were young. And Jace will never admit it, she always loved me more," he grinned. "But as she grew, our parents thought it was unwise to have an animal running around the Institute so they had her sent away."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Alec waved it off. It was a long time ago. "So you and your siblings are quite close? Jace and Isabelle were unwilling to leave your side at all, at the wedding."

Alec nodded as he smiled fondly. "Our parents were usually too involved in Clave business and we weren't allowed to leave the Institute on our on. So, it was always just the three of us together for a long time. By the time Max was born, we were already old enough so he kind of became our kid, you know." Alec could not believe he was telling Magnus about his siblings. But for some reason, it was easy to talk to the warlock _._ "Mom and dad were busy running the Institute. We didn't have much responsibilities, other than our trainings. The debacle with the Circle had ended so there was no urgency. Jace had found out about movies from some mundane he had met and since then, we started having movie nights on Fridays. Jace would set up the movie, Izzy would make sure no one would bother us and I would cook us dinner. It started with PBJ sandwiches the first time and then, as I learned how to cook, they became my experimental mules," he laughed.

"Do I dare ask if they liked it?" Magnus teased.

"Well, so far they have not told me to stop, so I assume the do," Alec smiled. "Anyhow Jace and Izzy cannot cook to save a life and Max, well, Max has just been pampered so much as the youngest so there's no chance there."

Magnus laughed. "Catarina and Ragnor - my closest friends - often pester me to learn cooking. They've invited me to enough cooking classes, ranging from _Italiano Autentico_ to Sinister Desserts. But I never ended up going."

"You've known them for a long time?"

"For centuries, now. We've had quite a few adventures together. I got banned from Peru after a trip with these two," Magnus reminisced.

"Banned? From an entire country?"

Magnus nodded as he took a bite. "I have the official order framed, hanging in the office if you don't believe me."

"How do you get banned from a _country_?" Alec was amused, to say the least.

"That, my dear, is still sort of a mystery to me. I mean there were quite a few incidents that took place but I am not sure _which one_ got me banned," Magnus said, trying to keep a straight face, causing Alec to go into a fit of laughter.

The rest of their dinner and the walk home passed by with more anecdotes and laughter. Alec could not recall the last time he had laughed so much. _It's the alcohol,_ he told himself.

"I had a good time tonight, Alexander. I hope we can do this again."

"Me too," Alec smiled. "Have a good night, Magnus. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." The two headed to their rooms with smiles on their faces for the first time since their wedding.

* * *

The next morning, Alec woke up with a hangover. He groaned as he looked at his phone and realised he had slept in. He got himself dressed quickly and tried to see if there was any coffee in the kitchen. He found some instant coffee and decided that would have to do until he got to the Institute. He did not have time to spare to stop at the coffee shop today. Just as he put some water on the stove, he saw Magnus step out of his room as well. His hair was dishevelled and his face clear of makeup.

"Oh, Alexander, good morning." Magnus looked as embarrassed to see Alec as the Shadowhunter was.

"Good morning. I was making coffee, would you like some?"

"That would be great. Thank you. I don't recall drinking that much last night to warrant this hangover, though."

Alec chuckled as he added another glass of water to the coffee. "Since you are taking care of coffee, let me get us breakfast. How do you feel about croissants?"

"Uhm, you go ahead, I'm running a late for the Institute."

"Don't worry about that. I'll portal you there. In fact, we can go ahead with that arrangement on a regular basis if you want - would save you quite a lot of time on commute."

Alec smiled but did not comment on making it a habit. He instead chose to focus on the coffee. "Milk and sugar?"

"Yes please - a little milk and three spoons of sugar," Magnus said. He saw Alec open the refrigerator for milk and sneakily made to conjure a carton of milk there. After that, breakfast was a relatively smoother experience, relatively being the key word.

"Magnus, these croissants are from a Manhattan bakery," Alec stated.

"Yes," Magnus looked slightly embarrassed. "I will make sure to put some money in their tip jar the next time I'm in Manhattan." Alec laughed and shook his head but did not comment further.

"So tomorrow is Friday," Magnus said.

"Yes," Alec was confused by the statement.

"If you want to have Izzy and Jace over for movies, I would be happy to make myself scarce for the day," Magnus smiled.

Alec was surprised that Magnus remembered it from last night and actually bothered enough to bring it up. So far, the Shadowhunter had been planning to skip the movie night altogether, like last week but if he was being honest, he knew he needed to spend some quality time with his siblings. He deliberated his answer - he did not want to end up spending the night at the Institute; Angel knew what issues that might cause with the Clave and Warlock Council but he also did not want to have Magnus leave his own apartment for his benefit. He was still in the middle of his thoughts when he heard his voice say "You should join us."

"Are you sure? I mean I thought it was a Lightwood tradition."

Alec groaned inwardly but replied with an awkward smile. "Yeah. Jace and Izzy would be happy to meet you, properly I mean."

* * *

"How do you feel about Avengers?" Jace asked entering Alec's office.

"Huh?"

"For the movie night? The latest Avengers movie?" Jace emphasised. "Please don't tell me we are skipping this week as well. I have setup the TV in your old room already."

"Uh, no, not skipping it. But - " Alec paused, cursing himself for inviting Magnus without asking Jace or Izzy. "I kinda invited Magnus for it. I know it's always been just us but he offered to leave the apartment if I wanted you guys over so I asked him to join us. I should have asked you guys but it was -"

"It's absolutely fine, Alec. I mean he is technically a Lightwood now, right?" Jace smiled. "And it's time that Iz and I get to meet him properly. I am yet to have the shovel talk with him," Jace smirked and texted Izzy with the news asking her to come over.

"Jace," Alec warned.

"Relax, brother. We won't embarrass you," his brother said, too sweetly to be serious.

"Are you and Magnus okay with Jace's movie choice?" Alec cursed under his breath as Izzy joined Jace.

"You know what, it doesn't matter because you are both disinvited."

"Ooh so now you are ditching _us_ for movies with Magnus?"

Alec put his head in his hands. "Isn't there a demon or something you can go kill?"

Both Izzy and Jace laughed but stopped their teasing. "I'll ask Magnus to choose the movie," Izzy suggested and placed a call before Alec could stop her.

"Hey Magnus, Izzy here, your _sister-in-law_ ," she emphasised making Alec try to grab her phone. She slid away gracefully.

"Alec told us you would be joining us for the movie night. Since this is your first time, I think you should choose the movie," she said sweetly while making faces at Alec.

"Yes, that would be awesome. Jace was also leaning towards that. We'll see you tonight then." Izzy turned back to her brothers with a grin. "Avengers 3, it is. He hasn't watched it yet though so no spoilers until the movie is done."

"On to more important topics then," Jace said. "What are you cooking tonight?"

"Oh shit," Alec cursed, looking at his watch. "I totally forgot I need to do groceries for that. Tell me what you want."

The siblings finally settled on Italian and Alec decided to leave a little early, heading to the grocery store. He made sure to get enough for tonight as well as for the next few days. After the last few days, Alec felt slightly more comfortable with running into Magnus and he was willing to brave that for a well-cooked meal.

Magnus was in the office when Alec arrived. He went straight to the kitchen but then suddenly realised that he had simply assumed Magnus would be okay with him cooking. So once he was done putting the groceries away, Alec went to Magnus.

"Magnus - I am sorry I kind of assumed - I should have asked you first but I forgot - I wanted to check in if you are okay with me cooking here," he quickly babbled as he mentally berated himself for being childishly ineloquent.

"Of course! Alexander, you need not ask," he said, getting up from his desk. "This is as much your home now, as it is mine. So please, feel free. Honestly, I am glad to have a home cooked meal. It has been a while."

"Uh thanks," Alec said. "But don't be too happy before you taste it," he tried to joke. It was then that Alec noticed two cats follow Magnus as the warlock walked upto him. He crouched to pet them. "And you must be Chairman Meow and Church."

Magnus crouched next to the beaming Shadowhunter and introduced him to the cats who were already cuddling against Alec. "I am surprised they are being so _nice_. They don't misbehave until prompted but usually they are slow in getting to like someone. You're pretty special in their books." Alec blushed furiously as he stood up and excused himself to go cook. Was Magnus flirting with him? Magnus offered to help but Alec told him he would manage. It was obvious Magnus had been busy with some work earlier. Alec quickly headed to the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

**06**

By the time Izzy and Jace arrived, Magnus set up the living room with a big enough leather couch, a huge screen, and a projector - currently playing a video of a violin orchestra. Alec had never been a fan of classical music, but whatever this was, sounded delightful. Magnus was lounging on the couch in his blue shirt and black jeans. His hair was styled up simply with a blue streak to match his shirt and we wore a thin black eyeliner. Chairman Meow and Church both were curled up next to him.

When Alec stepped out of his room, Izzy and Jace had joined Magnus on the couch. "Wine, Alexander?" Magnus asked.

"Uh, sure." Alec sat down next to Jace as Magnus played the movie. Within a few minutes, Chairman jumped into his lap and made himself comfortable causing Magnus gave him a mock betrayed look. Alec grinned at him in return as he made a show of petting the cat.

"Hello there," Jace whispered and stretched out his hand to pet Chairman's head but received a screech and a scratch from his paw in return. Alec chuckled and calmed the cat down by scratching under his ears but Jace had already decided to stay away.

By the end of the movie, both Jace and Magnus were in tears while Alec blinked more than a few times to make sure he wasn't. Izzy, on the other hand, was smiling as Magnus had their dinner flying up to them.

"How are you smiling after that!" Magnus asked her as he finally got over his initial reaction at the movie's ending.

"She is heartless when it comes to movies," Jace explained, digging into the risotto.

"Just because I am not bawling like you two. I don't know what you guys are crying about anyways, they're all going to be back in the next movie," Izzy smirked. Jace turned to Alec for help but he held up his hands and laughed.

"But you didn't even cry after Bambi!" Jace exclaimed.

"It was about animals, it wasn't even human beings," Izzy responded with equal fervour.

His siblings were quite prone to such childish arguments but Alec had not expected one tonight. He wondered if he should say something but Magnus beat him with his comment about a recent case. "Elias mentioned something about the sudden increase in Shax demon population?"

"Yes," Alec answered, glad for the change. "We've had at least four demons sighted in this week itself. I have asked the Downworld cabinet members to put out some feelers to see if anyone has a lead, especially Elias. So far, we haven't received any information though."

"Any idea who they are after?"

Alec shook his head. "They have been all over the city."

Magnus was silent for a moment, trying to remember something. "If there is a next one, can your team try to catch it alive? I will ask Elias if he can go along to make it safer. It may be possible to find out who it is looking for if the demon is still alive. It may even be possible to track down the warlock who summoned it but I'll have to research a bit about that."

Before Alec could say something, Izzy answered. "Definitely. We'll keep that in mind. But Magnus, would it be possible for you to accompany us instead?"

"Izzy, I am sure Magnus has a busy schedule and cannot be made available any random moment that the Shax demon decides to show up," Alec said quickly. He did not want to ask Magnus for this obviously big favour. Additionally, he did not like the fact that Izzy's eyes were twinkling as she asked Magnus. She definitely had something else in mind and Alec would feel more comfortable without being involved with it.

"No, no, I would be happy to help," Mangus said with a smile, thanking Izzy internally. "Just give me a call whenever you get the alert," he said to Alec who nodded in response.

"Enough work talk," Jace declared. "Magnus, tell us about yourself. We only know what we've heard from the grapevine and to be honest, it's - " he trailed off as he saw Alec glaring at him.

Magnus simply chuckled at the brothers. "It's alright, Alexander. I am well aware of the information about myself that is floating around. But I get what you meant last night" Magnus said quite nicely, referring to Alec's description of Jace at their dinner. "So what would you like to know, Jace?"

"Anything at all, really. For starters, how old are you?" Jace asked, saved from Alec's glare since the older brother was trying to deflect as Izzy mouthed _last night?_ to him.

"Eight hundred and twenty-six, this year," Magnus replied a bit cheekily. "And yet I don't feel a day older than three hundred."

"Wow," Jace whistled. "How long have you lived in New York?"

"Well, I permanently moved here around thirty years ago. Before that, I used to visit every once in a while. I've always liked New York. It's always had a charm that pulled me here."

"I understand what you mean," Izzy responded. "I could not imagine living elsewhere."

"That's because you have never lived elsewhere," Jace commented playfully. The rest of the night passed baby quickly with similar banter between the three, with Alec's inputs here and there (mostly glares towards Izzy and Jace). This was not unusual for the Lightwoods. Alec preferred to let his siblings be the lively ones while he enjoyed the warmth of their voices. He had always been the quiet one and he was no planning to change soon. _And yet you were willing to talk to Magnus all night yesterday_ , his subconscious prompted traitorously.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both, Izzy and Jace. I look forward to next week," Magnus said graciously as the two got up to leave.

"Same here, Magnus," Izzy said. Alec spotted a note of mischief in her voice but decided to ignore it. Knowing Izzy, she probably had a thousand playful plots going on in her mind right now. But Jace's conversation with Magnus definitely demanded his attention.

"Yes, it's been fun getting to know you, _brother-in-law._ Before we go, Iz and I want to get one thing cleared out. We didn't get a chance to talk about it earlier, so I'll say it now. If you hurt Alec, even a tiny bit, we're coming after you. And trust me, you do not want to know some of the _techniques_ us Shadowhunters have acquired over time to deal with shitty warlocks," Jace said with a straight face.

"Jace," Alec gritted through his teeth but Magnus smiled.

"Point noted. I have no intention of causing any pain to your brother," the warlock said soberly. "Unless of course, that is what _he_ likes," he added with a wink, causing Alec to blush and turn away.

Once his siblings left, Alec started to clean up. "Have you forgotten you live with a warlock, Alexander," Magnus drawled. "I just admit, of the various things I've been called over centuries, I've never received forgettable."

Alec blushed again and Magnus decided this was one of the things he found quite adorable about the Shadowhunter. "No, no - I just - " he stammered. Magnus cleaned up with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it, I'm just teasing," the warlock assured Alec.

* * *

Alec was happy with the way the evening had turned out. While he was still not entirely alright with being married to Magnus, the feeling of dread that he'd had since the news had been broken to him was now fading away. Alec was satisfied at that.

He knew both Izzy and Jace would be full of questions, but decided they could wait a little longer. He got ready for bed and then texted on their group chat.

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:08am]_

 _Did you guys reach the Institute?_

 _[From_ ** _Jace_** _at 1:09am]_

 _Just did._

 _How's everything there after we left? I'm sorry if that last part was too much. I was mostly kidding - I hope I didn't cause a problem._

Alec smiled at Jace's concern. This was one of the reasons he had never been able to stay mad at Jace or Izzy. They themselves would seem so guilt-ridden that he would melt and forget his own displeasure.

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:10am]_

 _You didn't. Don't worry about it._

 _[From_ ** _Izzy_** _at 1:10am]_

 _What happened last night? :D_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:10am]_

 _We went for dinner._

 _[From_ ** _Jace_** _at 1:11am]_

 _And?_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:11am]_

 _And what?_

 _[From_ ** _Izzy_** _at 1:12am]_

 _What did you do over "dinner"?_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:12am]_

 _Ate. That's what people usually do at dinner_

 _[From_ ** _Izzy_** _at 1:12am]_

 _Come on, Alec_

 _[From_ ** _Jace_** _at 1:12am]_

 _I can practically see you smirking while typing that_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:13am]_

 _We talked quite a bit. It was nice._

 _[From_ ** _Izzy_** _at 1:13am]_

 _What did you talk about_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:14am]_

 _What's up with the Spanish Inquisition, Iz?_

 _[From_ ** _Izzy_** _at 1:14am]_

 _Nothing. I'm just wondering why you didn't tell us about it earlier_

 _And why you are evading questions now_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:16am]_

 _I'm sorry. It's just that today I was a bit preoccupied panicking about having invited Magnus for movies that the dinner slipped my mind._

 _Gist of the dinner was that we'll both try to be friends and not be miserable._

 _[From_ ** _Jace_** _at 1:16am]_

 _Hear, hear_

 _Why does your cat hate me, btw_

 _[To_ ** _Izzy, Jace_** _at 1:17am]_

 _He doesn't hate you and he's not MY cat_

 _[From_ ** _Jace_** _at 1:17am]_

 _Definitely seems to like you better_

Alec decided not to indulge Jace in his childish arguments and typed a quick goodnight to his siblings.

* * *

 _[From_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:32am]_

 _So, last night? ;)_

Magnus chuckled as he read the text from Izzy once he was in bed. He should have expected it.

 _[To_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:55am]_

 _Dinner. Get your mind out of the gutter._

 _[From_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:56am]_

 _Must have been a really fantastic dinner if that made him invite you for movie night. He almost threw a fit the first time Max joined us._

 _[To_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:56am]_

 _You're exaggerating._

 _[From_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:57am]_

 _Well, he scowled._

 _[To_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:57am]_

 _Haha_

 _[To_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:58am]_

 _Regardless, I'm not naive enough to think he has fallen for me over one dinner. He probably invited me because we talked about trying to be friends and I brought it up the next day. In fact, seems like he regretted it. He was extremely quiet._

 _[From_ ** _Isabelle Lightwood_** _at 12:59am]_

 _Alec has always been the quiet one. Don't let that bother you._


End file.
